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FedEx Delivers Grin to Red Cross Staffer: Hurricane Irene Response

You fire up your email and there it is. There in your list of unread items, a subject line that stands out: “Thank You.”

It’s kind of like seeing the face of a friend in a crowd. It gets your attention and merits the first double click of the mouse. I recently received one of those emails from John Thatcher with the American Red Cross. He had just been on a deployment in response to Hurricane Irene.

FedEx just renewed our commitment to the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program for the next five years at $1.2 million a year in cash and in-kind transportation services. This fund helps provide a resource pool for the Red Cross to help them respond to disasters.

Our transportation support is used to move Disaster Services Technology equipment and other vital relief supplies before, during and after disasters occur. Before a hurricane even comes ashore, FedEx delivers command center equipment for the Red Cross to enable them to serve people in harm’s way.

I asked John if I could share his note on our blog and he agreed. Here it is:

Shane,

Three weeks ago I received a call to deploy for Hurricane Irene and was sent to our Disaster Relief Operation in New Jersey. I was not surprised to see that FedEx had been there long before I boarded the plane at Memphis International Airport. The attached photos are of the Disaster Services Technology equipment being unpacked as I reported to headquarters on Saturday morning.

To say that I was grinning ear to ear and full of Memphis pride at the sight of the FedEx logo would be a vast understatement. Thanks to your support the American Red Cross opened or partnered with more than 500 shelters from Puerto Rico to Maine as Irene traveled up the eastern seaboard. In the aftermath of the storm we continued to serve those communities by opening additional shelters, distributing relief items, and providing emotional support. I had several opportunities to visit our shelters and witness the damage caused by flooding in central and northern New Jersey. My deployment was an amazing experience and I cannot thank you enough for your continued support as our organizations work to serve those that are affected by disasters at home and abroad.

Comments

God Bless your hearts to all that people that has love and compassion for other people that is suffering and going thru terrible situations.
I will ask people to help our people from El Salvador they are going thru a terrible situation now, many days of raining from a hurracane and many people has lost everything they had, I ask each one of you to help this people.

Azize, thank you for sharing your concern about the people suffering in El Salvador. By providing more than $1.2 million each year in support for the Red Cross, FedEx is able to help Red Cross respond to disasters around the world such as the one in El Salvador. Our thoughts are with you and the people of El Salvador as they continue to recover!